Abandoned Infant Protection Act - Did you know that persons unable to care for their newborn infants can
anonymously leave their baby with your ambulance corps or fire department?
The Saratoga EMS Council suggests you take a look at this New York State website
and consider what action your organization will take if a child is brought to
you. Most departments plan to simply transport the infant to a local
hospital for evaluation and placement. Click here to view the Abandoned
Infant Protection website.

EMD Changes effected April 2001 - Version 11.0 of the Medical Priority Dispatch System
(MPDS) has been fully
implemented in Saratoga County.
While the new cards contain the most comprehensive changes ever introduced,
field providers will notice only a few differences. These include addition
of a new Echo level response determinant and implementation of an
automatic helicopter standby protocol in Saratoga County. Click here for
the complete text of the new changes: EMS
Dispatch Changes

Governor Signs Bill Extending Pilot Recert Program: On August 17, 2001, NY Governor George Patacki signed a bill extending the
Pilot Recert Program for EMT's and AEMT's through July 1, 2006. For
information on the bill, click here: Pilot
Recert Renewed.

Spring 2002

New York City Assistance - The outpouring of concern and
willingness to help expressed by the Emergency Medical Services of Saratoga
County is commendable. The NYS Health Department has expressed their
thanks to all of you for your efforts: DOH Letter. For information on the Task Force operation and the
Corps that participated in standing by, please click here: Task Force Schedule.
We
join hands with all Americans and our many friends throughout the world to pay
tribute to those who have lost or risk their own lives to save others. If
you would like to help honor our fallen EMS brothers and sisters,
please join in sending an email to the Governor and our Legislators asking them
to expedite the creation of an EMS Line of Duty Death Memorial. This
legislation has been defeated repeatedly for several years, and again stalled in
the Legislature. Click here: EMS
Memorial Info

Anthrax Response Advisories - DOH has issued Policy # 01-08 Unknown Dry Substance/Suspected Anthrax
Response Advisory, as well as a Patient Fact Sheet(updated 10-26-01), and
Decon Information.
For your information, we have also included the Wadsworth Lab criteria for
testing and the protocol for submitting samples. Please note that it is
the responsibility of the State Police to determine whether a sample meets the
criteria for testing. EMS, HazMat, and Fire are not generally called to
respond to suspected anthrax threats.

In conjunction with the County Fire Coordinator and County EMS Coordinator,
several Weapons of Mass Destruction training courses were offered starting in
February 2002. The courses were OFPC Courses for which participants also received REMO Continuing Education Credits. There
was no
preregistration required and no charge for Saratoga County EMS and Fire
Department members. Click here for a complete list
of WMD Courses.

Health Dept. issues policy on Child Abuse Reports - Starting in February 2002, EMT's in New York State are required to report
or cause a report to be made when they (acting in their professional or official
capacity) have reason to believe that a child is abused or neglected. The
Bureau of EMS has issued a policy statement
(#02-01) to help you comply with this new law. The policy statement
and attachments make an excellent training tool. Read the text of the law here:
Mandated
Reporting of Child Abuse. To assist Corps and Fire Departments in
Policy development, Mike McEvoy (Saratoga County EMS Coordinator) has written 2
sample policies on Reporting of Child Abuse; one for Transporting Ambulance
Services and one for Fire Department First Response Services: (policies
below reflect June 2002 revisions)

Tire Fire Scene in Waterford Standby Concluded - Round the clock ambulance coverage at the Mohawk Tire Recycling yard (abandoned) on Schoolhouse
Lane next to the GE
Silicones plant in Waterford was discontinued on 3-12-02 at 8:30
am. The site burned from Saturday (March 9) until Tuesday (March
12). The Waterford Rescue
Squad is extremely appreciative of all the agencies that provided mutual aid assistance to stand by at the scene.
Click here for a list of the crews who volunteered to assist: Tire Fire Stand By
Coverage. The Saratoga EMS Council presented an award to the dedicated
members of the Waterford Rescue Squad for their excellence at the May 2nd
meeting of the Squad.

Sherry Doubleday receives Governor's Award - Sherry Doubleday, Assistant Captain of General Schuyler Rescue Squad was one
of 12 women selected for the "Capital Women Sustaining the American
Spirit" award presented March 19th in a special ceremony at the
Governor's Mansion in Albany. "A member of the General Schuyler
Rescue Squad for 17 years, Sherry has served as Assistant Captain for the past
two years. Her time and energy as an EMT have touched countless lives and
inspired others to lend their talents to the organization. Her efforts
truly reflect the tradition of the brave, the proud, and the courageous women
who exemplify excellence in EMS in New York State."Congratulations
to Sherry on this outstanding achievement!

Fall 2002

Kathy Barton honored for work at Ground Zero - Kathy Barton, Chairperson of the Saratoga County EMS Council and Deputy
County EMS Coordinator was honored by NYS Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno as
one of New York's Women of Distinction. The award was made for Kathy's
work with the USART Team at Ground Zero. Click here for Senator
Bruno's press release. Congratulations to Kathy on this most excellent
achievement!

Adirondack Community College Offers Con-Ed Videos - ACC is offering copies of health-related video conferences at a cost of $5
shipping and handling per tape. A list of tapes currently available is on
the ACC ConEd website.

EMT-Intermediate Course at Easton Greenwich - Washington County EMS announced an EMT-I course starting September 3, 2002 at
the Easton Greenwich Rescue Squad (Rte 29 in Greenwich). The course will
run Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact Mark Spiezio for further info by email
at pmspiez@nycap.rr.com
or by phone at (518) 677-3794.

EMS Leadership Conference - Washington County will host an EMS Leadership Conference at the Washington
County Municipal Center (383 Broadway in Fort Edward). The conference
opens at 5 pm Friday, September 13 and continues all day Saturday, September 14,
2002. Brochures were mailed August 6th to all Saratoga County Ambulance
Corps. If you did not receive one, contact the Saratoga County Office of
Emergency Services at (518) 885-2232, email the Leadership Conference
Coordinator at pmspiez@nycap.rr.com,
or call (518) 677-3794 for further information.

Unique MCI Drill to be held Sat. 9-28 in Saratoga - All local ambulance agencies have been sent an invite by SEMS (Saratoga
Emergency Medical Services) to participate in an MCI drill to kick off at 8:00
am from the SEMS station on West Avenue in Saratoga Springs on Saturday,
September 28th. This is a joint drill in conjunction with Saratoga
Hospital and will involve a scenario never before tested in this area.
Additionally, new technology will be employed to assess infection control and
effectiveness of PPE. REMO has approved 3.0 CEU's for participants. Location and incident details will be released the
morning of the incident. A critique and lunch will follow. If you
are able to send an ambulance and/or crew, please call SEMS at (518)
584-2109.

Interested in an EMT-Intermediate Course? - If a sufficient number of people are interested (that means 20-25 folks),
REMO is willing to sponsor an EMT-I course in Saratoga County, most likely at
Malta Ambulance Corps. The course would start in mid to late September and
test out in December. The CIC would be Jim Bottillo and he's the man to
contact if you or people from your agency are interested. Drop Jim an
email at JimBottillo@hotmail.com
and let him know your name, agency, and a phone number he can reach you
at. This course will be sponsored only if there is an adequate number of
students!

Vermont to host seminar at Stratton Mountain - Dennis Krebs, EMT-P, author of When
Violence Erupts: A Survival Guide for Emergency Responders will present
a one day seminar by the same title on October 19, 2002 from 8am - 5 PM at the
Stratton Mountain Inn in Stratton, Vermont. For details and a registration
form: click here.

Child Abuse Reporting Update -Recent clarifications in Child Abuse EMT reporterobligations
necessitated changes in our sample SOP’s.The clarifications require an EMT with each agency involved
in care of a suspected abused or neglected child to file a separate report.
Also, EMTs need only provide the information they have on the written report
(form DSS-2221A). Information on the report (submitted to the local DSS
Child Protective Service) not available from EMS will be obtained by the local
Department of Social Services. You may download the revised SOPs here:

Intermediate Course at Malta starts in January - REMO will run an EMT-Intermediate course at Malta Ambulance Corps starting
January 6, 2003 and concluding in April. The course will meet Monday and
Wednesday evenings from 6 - 10 pm. Persons wishing to take this course must
complete a 3 part entrance exam consisting of a written exam, oral exam, and
complete practical skills exam. For further info, email Jim Bottillo at JimBottillo@hotmail.com
or call REMO at 464-5097

NYS: "Finger-sticks are not an EMT Skill" - In December 2001, County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy requested a
determination from the NYS Health Dept. Bureau of EMS on whether a finger-stick
for the purpose of blood glucose determination is within the scope of practice
of an EMT-Basic in New York State. The was prompted by conflicting
information between the Bureau of EMS and another State Health Department
agency: the Clinical Lab Evaluation Program at Wadsworth Center who issues
registration numbers to ambulance corps (among other medical groups and offices)
to perform laboratory testing. In August 2002, McEvoy received a response
from Ed Wronski, Director of the Bureau of EMS indicating that performing a
finger-stick is notwithin the scope of
practice of an EMT-Basic in New York.

Looking for an exciting career? - The Albany Medical Center Cardio-Pulmonary Surgery ICU is looking for
motivated emergency service personnel to work as cardiac patient care
associates. There are full and part time job openings, all shifts
available with flexible scheduling. 36 or more hours per week eligible for
full time benefits including health & dental insurance plus paid time
off. Call Susan Dillon at 262-3141 for more information.

Spring 2003

Calling all Radio License Holders - Thousands of users throughout the country did not respond to the FCC's
frequency audit, and so some 19,976 public safety frequencies could be placed
back into the "assignable" category including many Saratoga County
Fire, Police, Local Government and, yes EMS licenses. To see a listing of
non-responding agencies in the entire country, Click here- Automated Frequency Coordination - APCO International.
To see an excel spreadsheet of just those non-responders in New York State, click
here: NYS non-responders to FCC audit.

AHA Instructors Records - Updates Needed - All American Heart Association Instructors are asked to complete a revised Instructor
Information form and submit it to Kathy Barton. The new AHA First Aid
course will roll out in March/April this year and requires an instructor
training session to be eligible to teach. Contact Kathy
Barton with any questions, information needs, or other concerns about
CPR/First Aid Instructor issues.

Mutual Aid Dispatch Change Kicked In Jan. 1 - The EMS Council lowered the ambulance mutual aid "roll over"
point from 12 minutes to 10 minutes, effective January 1, 2003. To see the
informational letter on this change from EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy, click
here.

Radio Procedures Manual Updated - The Saratoga County EMS Radio Procedures Manual was updated in December 2002
(revising the May 1993 edition). Single copies were mailed to all EMS
agencies by the Office of Emergency Services. Additional copies may be
downloaded by clicking on the Downloads button at
the top of this page.

CPR Instructor Updates Scheduled - Two updates for Saratoga County AHA CPR Instructors have been scheduled and
one more will likely be announced shortly. All currently certified
instructors should attend one of the following sessions:

April 22 (Tues) - Stillwater Rescue Squad EMS Training Center 7-10 pm

May 22 (Thurs) - Wilton EMS 7-10 pm

Attendees must pre-register by email to Kathy Barton at cprtrain@nycap.rr.com.
Purchase of a new Instructor Manual is also required prior to attending the
update. Instructor Manuals are available for $25 (item # 70-2563) from any
of the following vendors:

Quality Improvement (QI) Section Debuts - A Quality Improvement section has been added to our web site to provide
information on QI activities in Saratoga County. This section will allow
interested parties to learn about QI activities in the County as well as check
on their local Fire Department or Ambulance Corps participation in the New York
State mandated QI program. Click on the Quality
Improvement button at the top of this page to see this new addition.

Updated Mutual Aid Manual Updated Again - Page 17 of the newly updated Mutual Aid Plan has been updated to reflect a
reduction from three to two ambulances in General Schuyler Emergency
Squad. Users can download the revised page from the Downloads
button at the top of this page.

Mutual Aid Manual Updated - The Saratoga County Mutual Aid Plan was updated in January 2003 (revising the
September 1995 edition). Single copies were mailed to all EMS agencies by
the Office of Emergency Services. Additional Copies may be downloaded by clicking on the Downloads button at
the top of this page.

Summer 2003

Important Infection Control Information for EMS Providers - For the first time ever, the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) has issued an
EMS specific guideline for infection control practice. The guideline
relates to dealing with suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
patients. SARS is a respiratory illness that has
recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. The illness
usually begins with a fever (>100.4 º F) and appears to be spread
through droplet transmission; namely, when someone sick with SARS coughs or
sneezes droplets into the air and someone else breathes them in. Cases of
SARS continue to be reported primarily among people who have had direct close
contact with an infected person and health care workers who did not use
infection control procedures while caring for a SARS patient. There are
specific steps EMS providers should take with all potentially infectious
patients, especially with the appearance of SARS, even though in the United
States, there is no indication of community transmission at this time.
Specifics and up to the minute information is available on the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) SARS website at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars.
Based on the CDC information, and in conjunction with other EMS groups, the NYS
Dept. of Health Bureau of EMS issued an Important Advisory and Update
(click here for the DOH Advisory) regarding
SARS on April 18, 2003. All EMS providers should read this update. Saratoga
County EMS and Public Health officials believe it is imperative that all EMS
provider agencies implement two measures: (1) maintain a heightened alert for
patients with fever and/or other signs of infectious disease (such as rash),
immediately taking appropriate infection control precautions when encountering
such patients. (2) equip all vehicles that respond to EMS calls with
gloves, eye protection, isolation gowns (or suits), N-95 (or higher) respirator
masks, and a means to immediately sanitize EMS provider's hands in the field
(such as a waterless hand sanitizer gel or wipes). A DOH recommendation on 911 caller screening for SARS has been carefully
considered by Saratoga County EMS and Public Health officials in close
consultation with colleagues in other Counties throughout New York as well as
major 911 centers elsewhere in the US. At this time, Saratoga County has
decided not to implement 911 caller screening for SARS.

Galway EMS Open House - You are cordially invited to join the members of Galway Ambulance to
celebrate the opening of their new headquarters on Sunday, July 13th from 12:00
noon until 4:00 PM. The new station is located at 2175 Galway Road) just
down the road from their old quarters. Download the invite by clicking
here: Open House

Ambulance Traffic Trouble Scheduled for July - The NYS DOT plans a 10 day closure of Route 7 Eastbound starting Friday, July
11th at 10:00 AM and ending Monday, July 21st at 6:00 AM. This is
significant for transports to Troy hospitals originating in Saratoga County as
well as for the likely increased traffic that will be seen detouring through
Waterford and Halfmoon. For additional information and materials to post
at your Corp, please click here
for the DOT advisory site.

Fair EMS Help Needed - The Saratoga County Fair will run from Tuesday, July 15th through Sunday,
July 20th, 2003. Gates will be open from 11 AM until midnight each day and
certified EMS providers are needed to staff the First Aid Station as well as
cover special events. Ambulances are also needed for 6 PM to midnight
coverage each evening (click here for the ambulance
coverage schedule). Please contact
Jeff Reisner at JBR97@aol.com, phone
518-469-9392 or Stan DeLong at G906T@aol.com,
phone 518-885-5381, ext 4152.

Con-Ed talk SARS set for July 31 - A presentation on SARS has been scheduled for July 31 at the Fire Training
Center. "SARS: What You Need To Know" will be presented by
Brenda Naizby of NYS DOH on Thursday, July 31 from 7-9 PM at the Fire Training
Center in Ballston Spa. The talk is REMO approved for 2.0 hours of
EMS Con-Ed. All EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement personnel are
invited. Pre-registration is not required. You
can download the (MS Word) poster that was mailed to all departments by
clicking here: SARS
poster

Fall 2003

Saratoga EMS Mourns Loss of Joe Mushinski - Joseph M. Mushinski
Jr., 46, friend, colleague, and brother paramedic, died Tuesday, August 12th in
Pennsylvania. Joe previously worked at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance,
Malta Ambulance, and SEMS. He will be missed by his many friends in
Saratoga County. Click here for Joe's obituary.

Reisner and Smith Recognized by REMO - Jeff Reisner of the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department was recognized as
Communications Specialist of the year (see photo below) and Frank Smith of
Northside Fire and Saratoga County's EMS Training Staff was recognized as EMS
Instructor of the year. The awards were presented at a special ceremony on
September 22, 2003 at REMO, a coordinating body serving the six county region of
Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Saratoga.
Congratulations to these Saratoga County EMS providers of excellence for being
singled out for recognition in a regional area serving 860,000 people!

ICS Basic Course - Kingston - SEMO notified Saratoga County that they will be conducting an ICS Basic
(I-200) course in Kingston on December 4th and 5th. There is no fee for
the course. Lodging and transportation are the responsibility of the
participant. Details are available on the SEMO website (click
here). Registration can be done on line as well at www.nysemo.state.ny.us/Training

Spring 2004

Council Recognized by American Heart Association - The American Heart Association in January presented Saratoga County
EMS Council with a Community Training Center award in recognition of
outstanding performance, leadership, and professionalism in advancing the
mission of the American Heart Association (AHA) and Emergency Cardiovascular
Care (ECC). Council Chairperson Kathy Barton accepted the award with
Frank Smith, who leads Council Instructors in number of students and classes
taught. Frank, in case you don't remember, was recognized as EMS Instructor
of the year by REMO last September, largely due to his efforts in Saratoga
County. Frank's community training record is closely followed by fellow instructors Jack Peroha and
Andy Olmsted. Kathy Barton is the administrator of the first aid and CPR
training programs run by the Council. Congratulations to all of our
Instructors for a job well done!

FCC to Cancel Some Saratoga County EMS/Fire Radio Licenses - The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
(WTB) has been conducting an audit of operational status of Private Land Mobile
Radio stations. The audit includes public safety radio licenses operating
below 800 MHz. The FCC announced on
March 2, 2004 that it will proceed with the cancellation of licensees who have
not responded to the audit.

Public safety
agencies that face loss of their FCC license fall into two categories,
undeliverable and non-responsive. If the FCC audit letter was
undeliverable, you have until March 27, 2004 to notify the FCC that your
radio system is still in operation to avoid license cancellation. The FCC will
begin a final round of audit mailings on Friday, February 27, 2004, for those agencies that
fall into the non-responsive category. If a response to the latest audit
letter is not received by the FCC by March 31, 2004 the license will cancel
automatically.

To check the status of your department, click
here to visit the FCC website. After
accessing the page, you can follow two paths to determine the status of your
license. The first is a search by call sign. Under ‘Process,’
click on the ‘search for your call sign(s)’
hypertext. In the ‘License Audit
Search’ area enter the call sign(s) for your radio system and click
enter. When the information is displayed click on ‘Licensee
Name.’ If you have already responded to the audit you will
see ‘Buildout Completed’
under ‘Response’ along with
the date the FCC letter was sent and the date your agency replied.
No further action is required; your license is current. If your search
results in a listing of the ‘Licensee Name’
and a list of dates when letters were sent by the FCC you must act
immediately to notify the FCC of your license status. You can also
search by state. Scroll to the bottom of the Web page to ‘Audit
Progress and Results.’ Click on the ‘List
of Licensees who have not responded to the mailed audit letters.’
Scroll down to the ‘Nonresponses by
State/Territory,’ find your state and then click on ‘public
safety.’ You can review all public safety licenses in your
state or territory that have not responded. This listing will also tell
you if your audit letter was undeliverable or your agency was non-responsive.

SVMC To Install DTMF Equipment - Southwestern Vermont Medical Center announced plans to install a DTMF decoder
on their HEAR (Hospital Emergency Administrative Radio) receiver during Spring
2004. The exact implementation date has not been set but Corps can begin
programming their radios to open SVMC on frequency 155.340 using DTMF tones
"017". Medical Control physicians will continue to be available
via the dedicated Med-Control landline at 802-447-5305 as in the past.
Questions can be addressed to SVMC EMS Coordinator Chris Phelps at
802-447-5637.

Don't Become A Statistic - attend Highway Street Survival! - Kevin Leonard, a
popular speaker on emergency driving will present, "Highway Street
Survival" on Thursday, May 6th, 2004 at the Fire Training Center in
Ballston Spa from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. This 3 hour classroom session is
designed to reduce injuries and prevent fatalities among emergency responders
who operate at roadway scenes. Topics include vehicle placement, use of
cones, flares, lighting, protective clothing, as well as the newest information
on responder safety. REMO credit for 2 hours preparatory and 1 hour
operations will be awarded to attendees. A light dinner will be
served. Preregistration is requested by calling County EMS Coordinator
Mike McEvoy at 383-8608. Click here for a course
flyer.

FEMA Releases HSAS Guide for Fire and EMS Services - Have you ever wondered what actions your department should undertake in
response to changes in the Federal Homeland Security Threat Conditions? In
January 2004, FEMA published a Guide for Fire and EMS Services on actions
suggested in response to each condition level of the Homeland Security Advisory
System (HSAS). The entire guide is available for download by clicking
here, or at the downloads section of this web
site.

FCC Plans Email Notice of Radio License Expiration - The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau announced it will begin sending
e-mail license expiration notifications to public safety entities effective
April 16th, 2004. The e-mails will be sent at intervals of 90, 60, 30 and 10
days prior to the license expiration date. Once a renewal application has been
received, the e-mails will stop being sent. The FCC will continue to send a
written renewal letter 90 days before expiration, and--if you're completely in a
trance--the FCC staff will make a telephone notification between one and 9 days
before expiration. You should make sure that your e-mail and telephone number
are correct in the FCC's Universal Licensing System-- that's the information
they'll use to make contact with you. Surf to http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls
and click on "Online Filing," then login and select the "Update
Licenses" link from the left hand navigation menu.

New MAP (Mutual Aid Plan) for Wilton - Effective at 8:00 AM on March 31, a revised MAP will take effect for Wilton
Emergency Squad. You can download the revised page #21 for your MAP Manual
by clicking on the Downloads button at the top of this page.

Summer 2004

County EMS & Fire Radio Planned System Shut Down - On Tuesday, July 6th, at 7:00 PM, the County Fire and EMS radio system will
be taken off the air for about 20 minutes to allow tie-in of the now completed
fully redundant back-up communications center off site from the Sheriff's
Department. All agencies are asked to provide an phone contact during this
time and either staff their stations or assume dispatching themselves.
Full details are available in a letter sent to all agencies that you can see by clicking
here.

Standard ALS Intercept Agreement Open Comment Period - The EMS Council formally initiated an open comment period on a proposed
Standard ALS Intercept Agreement, beginning April 12th, 2004. Several
copies of an information package are being mailed to all ambulance agencies in
the County and can
be downloaded by clicking here. Comments are due back to the Council
by Friday, July 16th and can be made by email (info@saratogaems.org),
snail mail, or fax to (518) 383-4915.

Fair Help Needed - Fair EMS Help Needed - The Saratoga County Fair will run from Tuesday,
July 13th through Sunday, July 18th, 2004. Gates will be open from 11 AM
until midnight each day and certified EMS providers are needed to staff the
First Aid Station as well as cover special events. Ambulances are also
needed for 6 PM to midnight coverage each evening. For more information, please
contact Jeff Reisner at JBR97@aol.com, phone
518-470-7964 or Stan DeLong at G906T@aol.com,
phone 518-885-5381, ext 4152 or 518-8582-1090.

Watch Your Manners - Almost like deja vu, the issue of radio manners has reared its ugly head once
again. Changes to the County Radio Procedures Manual are forthcoming to
incorporate new changes, but County EMS Radio users are encouraged to review the
Radio Etiquette memo issued by County EMS
Coordinator Mike McEvoy in February 2002. An added point for
consideration is an increasing trend of First Responders calling enroute to
their station(s) which is unnecessary and recently has taken valuable air time
from units responding to scenes. Unless you are responding to the scene of
a call, please refrain from tying up the air to call enroute.

New MAP (Mutual Aid Plan) for Malta - Effective at midnight on June 26th, a revised MAP will take effect for Malta
Ambulance Corps. You can download the revised page #13 for your MAP Manual
by clicking on the Downloads button.

Two New EMS Deputy Coordinators Appointed - Saratoga County EMS
Coordinator Mike McEvoy announced the appointment of two new EMS Deputy
Coordinators, effective Friday, July 29th. They are John Stewart of
Saratoga Springs and Andre Delvaux of Moreau.John is a firefighter/paramedic with Saratoga Springs Fire Department and
is active in several Saratoga County ambulance agencies.He brings over 22 years of EMS experience including 7 years as Division
Manager for a commercial ambulance service in the Capital District.Andre is a Registered Nurse and Captain of Moreau Emergency Squad.He brings over 16 years of EMS experience including 10 years as Captain
of Moreau.Andre and John were
chosen from 32 candidates who submitted resumes. McEvoy noted that he
is, "honored
to have John and Andre join the EMS Coordinator’s staff." He asked
EMS Leaders to join in welcoming them as they help to serve the EMS providers of
Saratoga County.

A listing of all Coordinators and their email addresses is posted on the EMS
Coordinator page of this website.

Fall/Winter 2004

County EMS Mutual Aid Plan Revised - effective October 12th, 2004 a revised MAP will take effect. Changes
developed with the input of numerous providers, administrators, physicians, and
aeromedical experts were outlined in a letter mailed to all corps (click
here for a copy of the letter) by County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy.
A quick overview of changes is available in a document accompanying McEvoy's
letter (click here for a
highlighted copy of changes). The October 2004 revision of the MA
Manual incorporates all changes made since the prior (January 2003)
printing. The entire Mutual Aid Manual can be downloaded by clicking
here or using the downloads button at the top of this page.

AHA CPR Instructor Course at Malta Ambulance - An American Heart CPR
Instructor Course will be held at Malta Ambulance on January 11 (7-10pm),
January 18 (7-10pm), and concluding January 29 (10am – 2pm).Instructors from ARC and NSC who wish to cross over need only attend the
Jan 11th session.Cost
will be $50.00 per student plus instructor manuals, which need to be obtained by
each student individually (Heartsaver Instructor Manual Collection Order
# 70-2303 includes all of the instructor manuals needed to teach American Heart
Association Heartsaver courses. This shrink-wrapped package contains the
following: Instructor's Manual: Basic Life Support, Instructor's Manual:
Heartsaver AED, Instructor's Manual: Heartsaver First Aid - $50 which is
$25 less than purchasing each book separately) available from
either of the following suppliers: Laerdal www.laerdal.com,
Channing Bete www.channing-bete.com,
or Worldpoint ECC www.worldpoint-ecc.com.Crossover instructor candidates’ cost for this course will be $25.This class is limited to 15 new Instructor students.To register or inquire about the course email to
CPRTRAIN@nycap.rr.com.

Radio Announcement Schedule Change - Effective immediately, Saratoga
County EMS has increased the frequency of EMS Radio Announcements to 3 times
daily at 08:15, 16:15, and 00:15 hours.The nightly pager test will continue to be conducted at 18:00 hours
when possible and will no longer include announcements.This update to the EMS Radio Procedures Manual is available at the
Downloads tab above or by clicking
here. This change is in response to a request by the EMS Council
that information on hospital diversions be more frequently and consistently
delivered to County EMS Providers. An analysis of radio traffic
indicates that the 18:00 hour is typically too busy for announcements to be
conducted. Separating announcements from the pager test will assure
greater consistency in getting them read. Changes to page 7 of the
Radio Procedures Manual affect only items F and G on that page.

Spring/Summer 2005

Signal
41 Begins February 25th - Effective 7:00 AM on February 25, 2005 Saratoga County
Sheriff's Department will implement a 6 month trial of a multi-agency
Paramedic Mutual Aid program involving Corinth, Moreau, Wilton, and General
Schuyler. For situations requiring either "Paramedic
Assistance" or "Advanced Airway Management" (under a REMO
approved trial program), a "Signal 41" will be activated on the EMS
Dispatch frequency. Response is limited to ALS personnel who have
been issued pagers that activate with the Signal 41 tone following
standard Saratoga County EMS Radio and Mutual Aid procedures. Any
questions regarding the Signal 41 trial should be referred to County EMS
Coordinator Mike McEvoy.

WMD First Responder Packs to be issued July 26th - As presented during the MCI Train the Trainer class and the last EMS Council
meeting, WMD First Responder Escape Packs will be distributed by the County Fire
Coordinator on Tuesday, July 26th at the Fire Training Center. A brief
inservice on use of the packs will be given to start at 7 PM.
Preregistration is required by calling the Fire Coordinator's Office at
884-4702.

Waterford hosts Amtrak Emergency Awareness Session****** This class has been canceled *****Waterford Rescue Squad in conjunction with Amtrak,
CDTA, and US Dept. of
Homeland Security will host "Emergency Awareness for Amtrak Trains"
con-ed on August 11, 2005 starting at 6:00 PM. Class size is limited and
preregistration is required by email to fcurtis1@nycap.rr.com
or calling 518-376-8606 (leave name, affiliation, and # attending). Click
here for an MS-Word Training Announcement.

I-90 to Close Nights & Weekends 6/10 thru 8/27 - Interstate 90 between Exits 2 (Washington Ave) and 5 (Everett Rd) will be
shut down for resurfacing during nights and weekends beginning June 10th, 2005
and continuing through at least August 27th. Both East and Westward
directions are scheduled for closure at different times. This will affect
Albany bound ambulances coming off of the Northway. For a brochure
on the closings click here.

EMS Leaders encouraged to subscribe to Listserv - EMS Leaders in Saratoga County are strongly encouraged to subscribe to the
confidential Alerts Listserv started in November 2004 by the EMS Council.
The Alerts Listserv will be used exclusively to disseminate confidential
information in the event of a Regional, Statewide, or National emergency
involving emergency services or public health. "There presently is no
other means of quickly and privately distributing confidential information to
EMS agency leaders in Saratoga County. I appreciate the Council putting
this communication link into place for our use," said Saratoga County EMS
Coordinator Mike McEvoy . Available under
the Subscribe button at the top of this page are an
EMS News Listserv, a Courses Listserv, and a confidential Alerts Listserv for
EMS Leaders.

EMS History Exhibit to Open at NYS Museum - From
November 20, 2004 through September 11, 2005, the NYS Museum will display an EMS
history exhibit called, “Help Is Here.”Fifteen historic ambulances dating from the end of the 19th
century to present as well as uniforms and historic photographs will be shown.The State Museum is open everyday except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Years Day from 9:30 AM to 5 PM.For
further information, call 518-474-5877 or check their web site at: www.nysm.nysed.gov.
Click here to download a
poster on the exhibit for your agency bulletin board.

POSTPONED - Moreau Homeland Terrorism Seminar -
The Moreau Emergency Squad one day Homeland Terrorism Seminar on
Saturday, September 17th, 2005 at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls, NY
has been postponed until 2006. Registrants will be contacted by the
seminar organizers. A new date has not been confirmed, but will include
additional coverage of Natural Disasters as well. Previously, the seminar
was to kick off at 8 AM (registration & check-ins from 7-8
AM) and end at 5:30 PM. Cost includes breaks, lunch, and a dinner
reception with live entertainment at the Queensbury Hotel starting at 6
PM. Participants will earn 7 hours of CME including 3 hours WMD required
for NYS Pilot Program participants. Speakers include internationally known
names such as Dr. Paul Kim, FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka, Jr., NYC OEM Deputy
Commissioner Edward Gabriel, and Paul Maniscalco. NOTE:
Paul Maniscalco (listed on program) has been replaced with Attorney and
Terrorism Expert Peter Beering. Click
here for a PDF brochure. Email for questions and information is homelandterrorism2005@yahoo.com.

Fall/Winter 2005

EMS and Fire Groups Highlight Radio Problems -
In a press conference at the Clifton Park Firehouse on August 9th,
representative of Saratoga County Fire and EMS organizations highlighted ongoing
problems with the emergency radio communications in the County. Clifton
Park Fire Chief Art Hunsinger, Saratoga County Fire Advisory Board Chair John
Mazur, and EMS Council Secretary Henry Propst told reporters that the present
radio system is unreliable. On August 10th, Fire Advisory Board Chair John
Mazur and County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy addressed the Saratoga County Board
of Supervisors at their monthly agenda meeting, bringing concerns from Fire and
EMS agencies about the radio system. Recognizing continued work by the
Supervisors to build a new emergency radio system, Mazur and McEvoy recommended
more immediate action be taken while development of a new system
continues. Immediate needs are to implement redundant paging using a
method such as text messaging through alphanumeric pagers or cellular devices so
that more than just the present system is used to alert responders.
Obtaining a radio engineering consultation on the current system to optimize
performance and suggest components for upgrade or replacement to assure
availability of parts or replacements when breakdowns occur was
recommended. Also, increased involvement of Fire and EMS leaders in radio
system planning and implementation was recommended. For a copy of the EMS
talking points developed between the EMS Council and Fire Advisory Board, click
here.

First Responder Escape Pack Training Aids Posted -
Two PowerPoint presentations have been posted to the Downloads section of the
Council website for agency level use in demonstration and orientation to the WMD
backpacks and Scott SCRAM escape hoods distributed on Tuesday, July 26th at the
Fire Training Center. Both the WMD Backpack presentation and the SCRAM
presentation are available at the downloads button at the top of this page or by
clicking here.

Get with the NIMS -
To allow responders at all levels to work together more effectively, the
Federal Government mandated States and localities move towards NIMS (National
Incident Management System) compliance starting this year (2005). The
first in a series of deadlines hits on October 1st, 2005 when anyone involved in
response or incident management should have completed IS-700 (the NIMS
Introductory Course). The carrot attached to NIMS compliance is future WMD
dollars that will only go to NIMS compliant municipalities. Saratoga
County directly benefits from WMD dollars in State MCI training and supplies,
drills (which in the future should fund EMS agency staffing costs), the new
Communications van just acquired by the County Sheriff's Dept., multiple public
health initiatives including caches of bio and chemical antidotes and
preparation for mass vaccination programs, as well as thousands of dollars in
PPE soon to be distributed to departments that have requested it. To
assure that Saratoga County continues to work effectively with outside agencies
and gets all available state and federal support, EMS providers are strongly
encouraged to get with the NIMS! Click
here to learn more about NIMS. Take the IS-700
course online at no cost by clicking here.

REMO Honors County EMS Providers - The Regional Emergency Medical Organization honored Deputy EMS Coordinator
Andre Delvaux, Certified Instructor Coordinator Joyce Eichorst, and the General
Schuyler Emergency Squad at an awards ceremony on September 26th. Delvaux
was awarded the Harriet Weber Leadership Award, Eichorst the EMS Educator of
Excellence, and General Schuyler awarded a certificate of appreciation
recognizing their EMS contributions. Awardees were selected from
nominations submitted from the six county region of Albany, Schenectady,
Saratoga, Columbia, Greene, and Rensselaer. Congratulations!

Eichorst Named NYS 2005 EMS Educator of Excellence - Certified Instructor Coordinator Joyce Eichorst of Saratoga County has been
selected by the New York State EMS Council as the 2005 EMS Educator of
Excellence. The award, to be presented at the NYS Vital Signs Conference
Awards Banquet in Rochester on October 15th of this year, is chosen annually
from nominations submitted by Regional Councils throughout the State. The
EMS Educator of Excellence is an individual who through outstanding teaching and
educational coordination has maximally improved prehospital services at the
local, county, regional, or state levels. In the nomination submitted by
the Saratoga County EMS Council, Eichorst was described as an
outstanding EMS educator with an exceptional ability to cultivate a rich
enthusiasm for EMS and a lifelong commitment to learning in her students.Her dazzling presentations, comical personality, compassionate approach,
and clearly expressed willingness to go the extra mile for her students have
spread her extraordinary reputation throughout the region. Eichorst is the
first ever Saratoga County CIC to receive the prestigious State Council
Award. Congratulations Joyce!

New MAP for Moreau - Effective at midnight on October 6, 2005, a
revised Mutual Aid Plan (MAP) will take effect for Moreau Emergency Squad.
The revised plan replaces page 18 of the Saratoga County EMS Mutual Aid Plan
dated October 2004. Copies of the revised plan are available at the
Downloads tab above or by clicking here.

Radio Survey - Your Input Needed! - NYSTEC, the firm hired by
Saratoga County to evaluate the existing Emergency Services Radio System and
make recommendations to improve reliability, provide redundancy, and restore
signals to the level experienced some 8-10 years ago has issued a survey
they would like completed by all Police, Fire, and EMS agencies. The
survey is due back by Tuesday, November 15th and can be downloaded
by clicking here. (To get this document on your computer, right click
here and choose the "save target as" option)

Radio Consultant Meeting - December 1st
- On Thursday December 1st, 2005 at 7 PM at the Fire Training Center, the
County's Radio Engineering consultants (NYSTEC) would like to meet with one
representative from each EMS and Fire agency in Saratoga County to solicit user
feedback on the performance of the current emergency services radio
system. If you did not see the Nov. 21st mailing on this meeting from Ed
Tremblay and Mike McEvoy, you can download a copy of the memo
by clicking here.

WMD Course added to Pilot Recert Program - The Pilot Refresher Course now in progress has added an Emergency Response to
Terrorism session on Tuesday, December 6th from 7-11 PM at the Fire Training
Center. This course, which meets the mandatory WMD/Terrorism requirement
for Pilot Refresher students at ALL levels (from EMT-Basic through Paramedic),
is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) course offered in conjunction
with DOH and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), instructed by
George June, Supervisor for Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance. Since costs
will be covered by DOH, admission to this session is free to any certified
provider who wishes to attend. For a DOH brochure on this course, click
here. Preregistration for this session is not required.

Countywide ALS Agreement Approved - The Countywide ALS Agreement was approved at the December 13, 2004 EMS
Council meeting. The final version of the Agreement will be mailed to all
agencies shortly and can also be downloaded by clicking
here. For those interested in the history of the Agreement's
development, the information package "full
version" containing all questions and answers since the agreement was first
opened for comment can
be seen by clicking here.

Moreau Seminar Rescheduled - The Homeland Terrorism Seminar in Moreau has been rescheduled for Saturday.
March 18th, 2006 in Glens Falls. Cost is $80 per person and includes full
day seminar attendance, 7 CME hours, breaks, lunch, a dinner reception with live
entertainment and more. Click here to see the
seminar brochure.

Spring 2006

CPR Instructors: Additional Updates Scheduled - Two additional updates for Saratoga County AHA CPR Instructors have been
scheduled. All currently certified instructors should attend one of the
following sessions in order to continue teaching after June 1st:

April 6 (Thurs) - Moreau Emergency Squad 6-10 pm

April 25 (Tues) - Wilton EMS 6-10 pm

There is a $20 fee to attend the update. )
from any of the following vendors:

Attendees must pre-register by
email to Kathy Barton at cprtrain@nycap.rr.com.
Skills testing will be done on the new material. Please bring a pocket
mask to the update and a mannequin, if able.

2006 EMS Memorial set for May 17th in Albany - DOH has announced that three EMS Providers who died in the line of duty
during 2005 will be added to the NYS EMS Memorial Tree of Life in a service to
be held on May 17th, 2006 at 11 am at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
Any agency wishing to send Corps vehicles (ambulances or fly cars) to the
service can register to do so with DOH by contacting Donna Gerard at 402-0996
ext 3. Click here for a PDF flyer advertising
the Memorial Service. Agency members are encouraged to attend - no
registration is required for individuals.

DOH Issues Memo on 2005 Guidelines - DOH Bureau Director Ed Wronski issued a memo to all agencies and providers
outlining how the Bureau plans to incorporate CPR Guidelines 2005 into NYS
Written Exams and protocols. While local training and implementation is
proceeding, it appears that it will take some time for DOH to incorporate the
new changes into the exams. You are encouraged to click
here for a copy of Director Wronski's memo to share with your agency
membership.

Oxygen Regulator Fires - NIOSH/FDA Notice - NIOSH and the FDA recently issued a joint notice describing
potential for fire at oxygen regulator and cylinder valve interfaces resulting
from incorrect use of seal gaskets. Depending on how you fill your
bottles (in house or through a commercial provider), this may well apply to
your agency. Click here for
the complete notice.

Ambulance Billing Income at Risk? - f you were the recent recipient of an email, fax, or snail mail letter
headlined, "YOUR BILLING INCOME IS AT RISK," you might want to read
a memo from Attorney Paul Gillan of the Albany firm Iseman, Cunningham,
Riester & Hyde (www.icrh.com).
Paul is an EMT well known to Saratoga County providers and serves as legal
counsel to many EMS and fire organizations. His poignant
explanation regarding the supposed threats to ambulance billing revenue are
enlightening. Click here
for a PDF copy of Paul Gillan's memo.

Saratoga County Fair EMS Call for Assistance - The Saratoga County Fair kicks off Tuesday, July 18th and will run through
Sunday, July 23rd. EMS staffing is needed from 9 am through midnight each
day. Annually, EMS providers donate countless hours to cover special
events during evenings weekends and to staff the EMS clinic and response teams
on site continuously each day. All levels of providers from CFR through
Paramedics are needed this year and ambulances are needed on site each evening
from 6 pm through midnight. Loans of equipment including portable O2
cylinders with regulators, non-wooden LBBs, and portable suction units are also
needed. Interested individuals and agencies are encouraged to contact
either Jeff Reisner (phone 885-4587, email JBR97@aol.com)
or Stan DeLong (phone 885-5381, ext 2201, email G906T@aol.com).
An informational meeting will be held in early June for those interested in
participating. Consider having a great time while helping make the County
Fair a safe event for your family and neighbors!

Law Dogs Ride to Support NYSP Sat. Sept 9 - The Law Dogs Motorcycle Club will
lead a motorcycle ride Saturday September 9, 2006 in support of two NYS
Troopers ambushed in Western NY trying to locate and safely apprehend Ralph
"Bucky" Phillips. Trooper Joseph Longobardo of Ballston Spa
died Sunday, September 3rd. Trooper Donald Baker, Jr. of Clifton Park
remains in serious condition. The ride is intended to demonstrate
concern for our brother and sister Law Enforcement Officers and disgust with
those hindering apprehension of this CRIMINAL who is suspected in attempts to
take the lives of three NYS Troopers to date. All are
invited to join the Law Dogs, whether
on motorcycle, truck, car, plane, or bus. Show YOUR support for the
Troopers fighting for their lives as well as Law Enforcement Officers
desperately searching to bring this fugitive to justice! You need not be
of any public safety affiliation to join this ride. Donations
will be accepted.Please
pass the word - we hope to have a large turn out. Any questions, contact Stan De Long,
Road Captain at OESFIVE@AOL.COM.
Download the NYSP wanted
poster for Phillips by clicking here.

EVOC Course Nov. 4 @ Gansevoort Fire - Retired NYSP Trooper Bob Faugh, a nationally known Emergency Driving
Instructor will teach an EVOC Course the weekend of November 4, 2006 at the
Gansevoort Fire Dept. (1870 Rte 32, Gansevoort NY 12831, just south of the intersection
with Rte 50). The classroom portion will run on Saturday, Nov 4 from 8 am
until 4 pm and the driving portion will be scheduled in blocks on Sunday, Nov
5. To register, email Bob Faugh at bfaugh@rochester.rr.com.
Preregistration is required; there is no cost to take the class. Contact
Bob Faugh with questions either by email or by phone at
585-533-1892. NOTE: Class location has
been moved to South Glens Falls Fire Dept. Station # 2 (I-87 north to Exit 17N
to Route 197 then head East for 3/4 mile).

Radio System Update - Blue Wing, the consultant hired by Saratoga County to explore alternatives to
the stalled radio system upgrade, gave a report to the Public Safety Committee
at their June 2006 meeting. Click here
to view a Blue Wing PowerPoint presentation that explores the status of the
current system and proposed plan for the future.

Winter 2006

Burn Kit Distribution at December EMS Council Meeting - EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy plans to distribute Burn Kits provided by the New
York State Department of Health at the December 11th meeting of the Saratoga
County EMS Council. One kit for each ambulance will be provided to each
agency submitting a listing of NIMS training completed by their personnel (see
NIMS information below). A list of member names, job title, and NIMS
course numbers completed can be emailed to McEvoy at mcevoymike@aol.com
or brought to the December 11th meeting at the Fire Training Center in Ballston
Spa.

Flu Vaccine Drill - Saratoga County Public Health and Saratoga Hospital will conduct a Pandemic
Preparedness Drill at the Wilton Medical Arts (Staples Building) on Route 50 in
Wilton Monday, December 18th from 2 pm until 7 pm. To test Public Health
ability to rapidly vaccinate a population, the County is offering flu vaccines
to all Saratoga County EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement personnel at no
cost. Agencies and departments should call the hospital at 583-8436 or
email to tbrooks@saratogacare.org
with a head count to assist in preparations for the drill.

WMD, Geriatrics, Bariatrics added to Fall Courses - Four additional
sessions have been added to the EMT Core Pilot Refresher Program: Geriatrics on
11/28, and Bariatrics on 12/12. In addition, Saratoga County EMS will host
a 6-hour WMD Awareness Course (FEMA Course # AWR-160) taught by DOH on Tuesday,
12/5/06 and Thursday, 12/7/06 from 7-10 PM at the Saratoga County Fire Training
Center (6010 County Farm Road, Ballston Spa NY 12020). There is no cost to
attend the WMD program and pre-registration is not required. DOH
approved pilot refresher credit will be awarded. Further information can
be obtained by calling the Course Coordinator, Joyce Eichorst at (518) 581-9409.
For additional information on the Core Pilot program schedule additions, click
here.

EMT-Intermediate Course Scheduled at Wilton - REMO will conduct an EMT-I Original and Refresher course at the Wilton
Emergency Squad starting February 12th and finishing June 21, 2007. The
course will run Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-10 PM. Pre-registration is
necessary - click here for course info
and registration details.

APA Approves County Radio Design - An eight year struggle concluded November 9th, 2006 when the Adirondack Park
Agency (APA) approved a revised Saratoga County design for an Emergency Services
Radio System that will locate 5 radio towers within the Adirondack Park.
The towers within the park include Lake Luzerne in Warren County, Corinth High
School, the Conklingville Dam, North Shore Road in Edinburg and Lakeview in Day.
In addition to current towers in Ballston Spa, Spruce Mountain, Halfmoon and
Providence, radio sites will also be added at Jonsson Tower on the Skidmore
College Campus or the nearby Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga
Springs. The County will need to complete permitting with the FCC and
plans to bid the system in Spring 2007 with construction to begin during
summer.

Moreau Comical Stitches Benefit - Moreau EMS is planning their annual Comical Stitches fundraiser to be held
Saturday, April 14th at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls.
Tickets are $15 per person.
Click here for a posting about the event.

GONE - September NIMS Training Deadline for EMS Personnel - As announced last fall, EMS personnel had until this September (2006) to
complete NIMS (National Incident Management System) training appropriate to
their role in their agency. First line personnel without supervisory
duties should have completed IS 700, IS 800, and ICS 100. Crew
chiefs, middle management personnel, and field supervisors should
also have completed ICS 200. Managers, Chiefs, Captains, and other
agency leaders should (by the end of 2007) also complete ICS 300 and ICS
400. DOH Policy Statement # 06-05 outlines NIMS, sources of training
(much of which is available as on-line self study programs) and DOH
recommendations for getting your agency up to snuff on NIMS. Click here
for the PDF version of 06-05 or click here
for the MS Word version of 06-05. FEMA is unable to provide numbers
of personnel having completed the various courses by county (go figure).
To assist the Saratoga County Office of Emergency Services to stay
abreast of County EMS agencies completion of NIMS training,
agencies are asked to provide numbers of members who have completed each
of the NIMS requirements to County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy (mcevoymike@aol.com)

DOH Issues Revised AED/CPR Information - In an effort to resolve confusion over deadlines and transition issues to the
2005 AHA Resuscitation Guidelines, DOH issued 2 documents on January 19, 2007
clarifying the obligations of agencies and providers to get up to speed.
The first is a revised
EMT-Basic Cardiac Arrest Protocol and the second a
summary of Frequently Asked Questions.
Click on either or both titles to download them here.

Run Info Fax Capability Coming -
On April 1, 2007 (delayed until April 4,
2007), the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department
plans to cut over to a new CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) program. Of the many
enhancements this will eventually provide, the first significant addition will
be capability to fax times, numbers, and run info to agencies at the
conclusion of each run. Ultimately, it would be desirable for every service
to be capable of receiving faxes from communications in order to reduce radio
and telephone traffic. If you presently have fax receipt
capability accessible 24/7 to crews at your station and would like to receive
a fax from communications summarizing each run at the time crews sign back
into service, please provide the 7 digit fax number you would like to enroll
to County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy at
mcevoymike@aol.com or call 383-8608.

County Radio System Update - Director of Emergency Services Paul Lent and Hadley
Supervisor Jeff Trottier (Chairman of Public Safety) attended a recent County
Fire Officers meeting and presented an update on recent County radio system
developments. Paul discussed the following using a
Power Point presentation
which you can view or download by clicking here. The key points of the
presentation are: Spruce
mountain site requires clean up of existing antennas and development of
quarterly preventative maintenance program, proposed taking ownership of an
existing 58X70 building and 180 ft tower owned by National Grid to replace
present tower. Will need 14 new antennae with 2800 feet of new coax to
minimize cutover time, structural capacity of new tower has been checked and
proposed loading is okay, some necessary electrical work needed at site has been
completed. Existing low and high band paging planned to convert to digital
paging system. New CAD system is being installed and tested. Blue Wing
continues work with FCC for guidance on the new radio system. A guestimate by
Paul is 24 months until changing over to new pager/radio system. Proposed radio
system will need 13 towers - new sites and existing sites being investigated
include Stillwater old radar base, Willard, Corinth HS, Bald Mountain, and
Halfmoon. Our old analog radio system will be replaced with a new microwave
system. A user count of 1000 was tabulated for mobile and portable units
throughout the County. The new radio system will use 700-800 MHz frequency very
close to that used by Nextel with higher gain antennae. Negotiations continue
in pursuing necessary APA permits and easements as well as FCC licensing.
Inquiries have been received from cellular companies to consider co-lease. Costs
for the new radio system are estimated at 11 to 15 million dollars. What’s
next: technology test bed with phased implementation to be completed in 24 to
36 months. Remaining issues: microwave system, statewide wireless network, FCC
licenses, user input, detailed engineering to be completed. Price of new high
band digital pager presently about $450 and is only available from Motorola.

Saratoga County Fair - Help Needed! - The 2007 Saratoga County Fair will run from Tuesday, July 17th through
Sunday, July 22nd. EMS volunteers, staffed ambulances, and equipment loans
are needed. EMS providers are being sought for coverage from 9 am until
midnight each day; staffed ambulances are needed evenings from 6 pm until
midnight; and loans of oxygen cylinders with flow meters are needed for the
week. Organizers plan a July informational meeting for any interested EMS
personnel. Please contact either Jeff Reisner (885-4587 or
JBR97@aol.com) or Stan DeLong (885-5381, ext
2201 or G906T@aol.com) for more information.

Saratoga Lake Rte 9P Bridge Project Hearing Scheduled - The Draft Design Report for the Route 9P over Saratoga
Lake Outlet Bridge Project is currently available for review. In addition, a
Public Hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, July 26, 2007
at the Saratoga Springs Public Library. An Open House will begin at 5:30 pm
with Department representatives available to answer questions followed by the
Hearing at 6:30 pm. Click here to
view/download the hearing notice for additional details or visit the project
website at
https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/regional-offices/region1/projects/route-9p. If
you have any questions, feel free to contact Erica Gundrum, Project Manager, at
(518) 388-0225.

CPHM to Sponsor Captain Al Haynes - Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance has booked the internationally acclaimed
speaker Captain Al Haynes on Wednesday, September 5th from 7-9 pm at
Waterford-Halfmoon High School (125 Middletown Rd, Waterford NY 12188).
Attendees are eligible for 2 REMO CEUs. Capt. Haynes piloted
United Airlines flight 232 when it crashed in Sioux City, Iowa on July 19, 1989
in a spectacular ball of flames. You are invited to listen to Capt. Haynes
explain how five factors came together to save 184 lives from what appeared to
be certain doom. Audiences leave this presentation empowered to save many
more lives by applying this valuable information to situations they encounter.
The program is open to anyone who wishes to attend. Preregistration is not
required and there is no charge to attend.
Click here for a poster
advertising the presentation. For additional information on Captain
Haynes,
click here.

WMD Training to be offered (Pilot Refresher Requirement) -Two sessions of NYS and FEMA approved WMD training will be offered as a
component of the Pilot Refresher Core Content Program being held at the Fire
Training Center. The sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, December 4 and
Thursday, December 6, 2007 both from 7 - 10 pm. The instructor will be
Chief George June of CPHM. Preregistration is not required and there is no
charge to attend either session. Attendance at both sessions is required
to receive a FEMA course completion certificate which also fulfills the DOH
required 6 hours of WMD training for participants in the Pilot Refresher
Program.

Winter 2007

Got NIMS? - The Fire Coordinator's Office has announced two I-300 courses. The
first will run during January 2008 at West Crescent Fire and the second during
February 2008 at Wilton Fire.
Click here for the course announcement.

More Regional Airway Courses at CPHM - Two additional REMO Regional Airway Courses will be held at Clifton
Park-Halfmoon Ambulance. The first is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th from
5:00 until 11:00 pm and the second on Saturday, January 19th, 2008 from
10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Both sessions cover the entire REMO Regional Airway
Course, Parts I and II and attendance at either session fulfills the Regional
Airway requirement for ALS providers. The program is open to both BLS and
ALS providers and has been approved for a total of 6 hours of REMO CEU credit
including 2.5 hours BLS and 3.5 hours ALS. Preregistration is required by
email to CPHM-Training@nycap.rr.com. Click
here for
a course flyer.

Crew Confirmation Coming to Saratoga County - In a May 30th letter to all ambulance agencies, County EMS Coordinator Mike
McEvoy announced plans to amend the Mutual Aid Plan to incorporate crew
confirmation in compliance with a REMAC advisory on Agency Response Parameters.
McEvoy believes the REMAC advisory highlights a weakness in the present Saratoga
County EMS Mutual Aid Plan. Although agencies are able to comply with the
directive under the present MA Plan, adding crew confirmation to the existing
alerting system would assure that any response time gaps are covered
automatically. Click here for
a copy of the memo mailed to all agencies.

Call for Comments - Church St. Reconstruction @ Saratoga ED - The Creighton Manning Engineering firm unveiled plans for reconstruction of
the Church and Myrtle Street intersection near the ED Entrance to Saratoga
Hospital at the February EMS Council meeting. They are soliciting feedback
from EMS services regarding alternatives presently consisting of
a roundabout or a new traffic signal with a left turn lane
for traffic turning north on Myrtle towards the hospital. From a traffic
operations standpoint either option (signal or roundabout) would work equally
well. Roundabouts provide safety benefits and have been proven to reduce the
number of injury and fatality accidents at intersections (see NYS DOT site:
https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/main/roundabouts). A public
information session on the project is scheduled for February 26th at rescheduled to Monday, March 10th at 7pm at
Saratoga Springs City Hall in the Council Chambers. Plans for the
signal option can be
viewed by clicking here. Plans for the
roundabout option can be
viewed by clicking here. A comment form can be
downloaded by clicking
here. Questions or requests for additional information can be
addressed to Project Engineer Steve Godlewski at
sgodlewski@cmellp.com.

CCT Course to start February 2008 in Ballston Lake - Ballston Lake Emergency Squad will sponsor a CCT course at
their Station (Rte 146A in Ballston Lake) beginning in February 2008. The
course will run 6-10 PM on Monday and Wednesday nights starting February 20th
and testing in November. The Instructor will be Kevin Diggs (REMO).
Tuition is $1,200 payable at the start of the course (ALS agencies can voucher
NYS for tuition reimbursement for students who complete the course and become
certified). If you are interested in taking the class,
please contact Mike Nyhan from Ballston Lake at 399-6507 or by email to
mnyhan1@nycap.rr.com. Click
here for a course
announcement flyer.

AHA CPR Instructor Updates Scheduled - A Saratoga County AHA Instructor
Update has been scheduled for 2008. All AHA Instructors must attend a 2008
update to remain on Saratoga County AHA Training faculty (CPR and First Aid
Instructors). Updates will be held March 27th at Malta Ambulance 7pm and
April 3rd at Wilton EMS 7pm (faculty need only attend one).
Cost is $10.00 per instructor. Please RSVP to
CPRTRAIN@nycap.rr.com.

Important Radio Meeting - Ambulance Agencies - On Thursday, May 1st, a meeting to review upgrades and changes to the
Saratoga County EMS Radio system will be held at the Fire Training Center,
beginning at 7:00 PM. All ambulance agencies are strongly encouraged to
send at least one representative. Any interested EMS providers are also
welcome and encouraged to attend. Click
here for a posting announcing the
meeting. Upcoming plans by DOH to distribute Atropine autoinjector
pens to all agencies will also be discussed.

Summer 2008

Comical Stitches returns to Moreau - Moreau Emergency Squad will once again sponsor "Comical Stitches", a stand up
comedy show, to be held on Saturday May 24th (2008) at the Charles R. Wood
Theater. Doors open at 7 pm and the show starts at 8 pm. Tickets are
$15 each and benefit the Moreau Emergency Squad Building Expansion Project.
Click here to download a brochure
for Comical Stitches or call 518-361-5196 for tickets.

CPHM to host Family EMS Stress Workshop - Clifton Park-Halfmoon Ambulance will host "EMS Stress & Your Family" on
Saturday May 31st (2008) from 9 am - 1 pm followed by an afternoon BBQ.
Facilitators are Dr. Gerry Goldberg, Staff Psychologist at Toronto EMS and Kim
Ankers from York University. The program is for EMS providers and their
spouses or significant others. Childcare assistance is available.
Preregistration is required.
Click here to download a brochure with registration information and further
details.

Atropine Pen In-service Scheduled - A DOH Train the Trainer presentation on Atropine Auto-injectors pens will be
held on Thursday, June 5th (2008) at the Fire Training Center from 7 - 9 PM.
A notice and registration form is on the way to every BLS and ALS Transport
agency as well as each ALSFR service in Saratoga County (click
here to read or download the notice and registration form). Services
wishing to participate should send their training officer and one other EMT to
this training. Auto-injectors will be issued to attendees at the session.
Participation is voluntary (as discussed at recent EMS Council and OES meetings)
and pre-registration with DOH is required to attend. Only DOH certified
ambulance agencies (BLS and ALS) and certified ALS First Response services are
eligible to participate.

Radio System Update - The Office of Emergency Services released a series of notes detailing the
progress on the County Emergency aaaaaaaaServices Radio system.
Click here to view the updates.

REMO EMS Awards Ceremony Sept. 22
- Please join your EMS Colleagues for the REMO Annual EMS Awards Ceremony to be
held at REMO (1653 Central Ave, Colonie 12205) on September 22nd starting at
6:00 PM. Further details and a list of awardees can be found on the REMO
website at www.remo-ems.com

AWR-160 WMD Awareness Program Openings - Dec. 2 & 4 - An AWR-160 WMD (Weapons Of Mass
Destruction) Awareness-Level Training Course will be held Tuesday December 2nd
(Part 1) and Thursday December 4th (Part 2) at the Fire Training Center.
Both sessions run from 7-10 PM. The program is part of the EMT Pilot Core
Content Refresher Program but is open to any person who wishes to attend.
AWR-160 is a six-hour program that provides emergency responders with
awareness-level instruction on recognition, avoidance, isolation, and
notification techniques in a WMD environment. The course covers prevention and
deterrence and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive
(CBRNE) hazards. CEU credits are available and there is no charge to
attend. To assure availability of sufficient course materials,
preregistration is requested by email to
training@saratogaems.org.

Winter 2008

Draft Crew Confirmation Protocol Released - A draft amendment to the EMS Mutual Aid Plan that incorporates crew
confirmation to comply with a REMAC advisory on Agency Response Parameters was
presented at the February 11th EMS Council meeting. Although agencies are
able to comply with the directive under the present MA Plan, adding crew
confirmation to the existing alerting system would assure that any response time
gaps are covered automatically. Implementation of the plan will not occur
until upgrades to the Sheriff's Department Communications Center mapping system
are in place to accommodate the changes.
Click here for a copy of the
draft document. Comments should be submitted to EMS Coordinator Mike
McEvoy.

Corinth Fire tones to Simulcast on 925 - Effective November 16, 2008 Corinth Fire alerting tones will be simulcast on
both Fire Control and EMS Dispatch (155.925). This test precedes planned
migration of all Fire paging onto the 155.925 frequency which has been pushed
ahead into 2009. Stay tuned for further details.

Autism First Responders Conference - Senator Roy McDonald and the Saratoga County Council on
Autism will hold an Autism First Responders Conference on Thursday, March 26th
(2009) at the Comfort Inn Suites in Clifton Park from 9 am until 3 pm. There is
no cost to attend. RSVP is needed by March 16th to Jennifer Ciulla at 885-2212
or to
jenciulla@saratogacountyny.gov. This event has been approved for 6
hours of REMO
CUE credits (additional category). Click
here for an invite/announcement.

Corinth MAP revised - The Mutual Aid Plan for Corised and will
take effect April 1, 2009. Updated copies of the new MAP (page 10 of the
Saratoga County EMS Mutual Aid Plan) are available for
download by clicking here.

Fall 2009

EMS Coordinator Issues Urgent Swine Flu Advisory - EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy issued an April 26th advisory to all Saratoga
County EMS Agencies outlining key strategies for EMS agencies (including Fire
Department first responders) to implement for protection of their members and
public health partners in managing patient care. Dispatch level strategies have
also been implements and are included in the outline.
Click here for a copy of the advisory.
We have also established a separate page with other documents we've been asked
to share with you. Click here to link to the
Swine Flu Documents page.

Saratoga Hospital EMS Recognition Evening - Saratoga Hospital's second annual EMS Recognition Evening will be hosted at
the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Resort on Thursday, October 8th. RSVPs are
required. Click here for an
invite.

Dispatch Change to Implement April 1
delayed until May 1 -
In a memo to all Saratoga County EMS and Fire Services, EMS Coordinator Mike
McEvoy and Fire Coordinator Ed Tremblay outline two Radio Procedure Changes that
will take effect April 1, 2009. The first is a specific "manpower request"
procedure that will assure timely and appropriate assistance by activating both
EMS and Fire with automatic fire department mutual aid when no response is
received after 5 minutes. The second change is implementation of automatic
EMS mutual aid for Priority 3 standbys at structure fire scenes when no response
is received from the ambulance corps of jurisdiction. The full memo can be
downloaded by clicking
here or by visiting the "downloads" tab above.
NOTE: Implementation has been delayed until May 1 by the
Fire Service.

Flu Vaccine PODs are a GO -

Saratoga County is offering both seasonal and H1N1 influenza vaccinations to
EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement members through our POD (Point Of Distribution)
system. Members (and high risk family members aged 19 or older) who
registered to attend one of the PODs (registration closed
Friday, November 6th) should attend:

EMS Dispatch Migration Complete - The planned cut of EMS communications with
Dispatch from the current 155.925 MHz to the EMS Ops 154.355
frequency has been completed. We have contacted as many mutual aid
agencies as possible to advise them of the need to modify their radios.
Click here for a copy of
the notice distributed by the EMS Council on the cut over. It would be
helpful to review your radio inventory and also check with your MA agencies to
assure that all equipment has been reprogrammed and is operational on the new
frequencies.

Council Rescinds Countywide ALS Intercept Agreement - Participants in the Countywide ALS Intercept Agreement initially effected in
2004 have been notified that the Saratoga County EMS Council will rescind the
agreement effective June 1, 2009. Originally effected to facilitate ALS
Intercepts and payment between services for patient care, changes in Medicare
and billing requirements have negated the effectiveness of the agreement.
Participants have been advised to obtain individual agreements with each agency
they intercept with. A sample agreement template based on the earlier
Countywide agreement has
been posted
here and in the downloads section of the Council
website for use by individual agencies.

Pager Bid Open to EMS Agencies - The County Fire Paging Initiative undertaken by the Saratoga County Board of
Supervisors in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Services will provide
replacement pagers for Saratoga County Fire Departments on the 155.925 paging
frequency. Migration of all EMS and Fire paging to this frequency is
expected to begin in May 2009. Talk back for EMS units in the field to EMS
Dispatch will be migrated on an agency by agency basis to the EMS Ops frequency
(154.355). The contract awarded by the County to Motorola is open to EMS
agencies who may wish to acquire additional pagers. Pricing is highly
competitive. Details are on the
OES web site
which can be linked to by clicking here. Ordering information is
available through OES Director Paul Lent (email:
plent@saratogacountyny.gov).

Radio Project Information Meeting Scheduled - The Office of Emergency Services will hold an informational meeting on
Thursday, February 4th, 2010 starting at 7:00 pm at the
Hyatt located at Exit 12 and Rte 67 in Malta. Representatives from
each EMS agency are encouraged to attend to learn more about the final phase of
the new radio project, see actual radio equipment, and learn about the timeline
for completion of the new radio system for Saratoga County. RSVPs are required
to OES at (518) 885-2232. Click
here for a flyer
with additional details about the meeting.

Fall 2010

Nightly EMS Pager Test Format Change - Effective July 7, 2010, the nightly (18:00) EMS pager test will be
abbreviated to only four agencies: Providence, Edinburg, Stillwater, and General
Schuyler. This resulted from a survey of EMS Administrators and Chief
Officers conducted last month, subsequently released for commentary by all
Saratoga County EMS providers during June. The change is being made
because the majority of Corps receive enough pages during the course of each day
to not require daily testing. Contact EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy with any
questions (mcevoymike@aol.com).

Automatic Mutual Aid Memo Issued - County EMS Coordinator Mike McEvoy issued a February 23rd memo reminding
agencies of their obligation to keep Communications advised of crew status.
Many agencies have not complied with County and REMO policies requiring
notification to EMS Dispatch when crews are not available to staff ambulances
listed as in service for the agency.
Click here for a copy of the memo.

Spring 2011

Congratulations Dr. Pomeroy! - Dr. Greer Pomeroy, who retired last year after serving over 40 years in
various EMS leadership positions including more than 20 years tenure as Saratoga
County EMS Medical Director, was honored October 14th at the REMO 2009 EMS
Awards Ceremony held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany. Dr. Pomeroy was
named EMS Physician of Excellence for her many contributions in the Region.
Also recognized was Deb Kufs (EMS Educator of Excellence), Brian Sleurs
(Communication Specialist of the Year), David DeRossi (RN of Excellence),
Colonie EMS (Agency of the Year), and Columbia County EMS Coordinator PJ Keeler
(EMS Leadership Award). Kudos to all.

WARNING: Older Pagers Not Compatible with New
Alerting System
Within the next few months, Saratoga County will go live with a simulcast EMS
and Fire paging system on 155.925 MHz. While designed to dramatically
boost reception, the new system will operate under new FCC narrow band licensing
requirements causing older pagers to no longer function. All services are
once again reminded to verify that all EMS and Fire pagers are narrowband
capable prior to the end of 2010. A simple rule of thumb for Motorola
pagers is to look at the front of the pager. Minitor V pagers are
narrowband capable, all other models are NOT and will not work once the
simulcast system goes live. Additionally, the Saratoga County Motorola
pager purchasing contract expires on 12/31/10. Any agency needing to
purchase replacements is strongly encouraged to take advantage of this
rock-bottom pricing before the contract expires.

Spring 2012

Special EMS Council Meeting March 19
A special meeting of the Saratoga County EMS Council will be held on Monday,
March 19th for the purpose of voting on proposed bylaw changes that would change
the meeting schedule of the Council from bimonthly to quarterly on the third
Monday of March, June, September, and December as well as reduce the quorum to
transact business to one officer and three members. Click
here for a marked up copy of the
bylaws with proposed changes.

EMS Admin Group Salutes SEMS Providers
The Saratoga County EMS Administrators Council, a group representing the
Administrators of the larger ambulance services in the County issued an open
letter saluting the EMS professionals working for Saratoga Emergency Medical
Services (SEMS). On Friday, February 17th at 06:00 am, SEMS will cease
operations. Click here
for a copy of the letter.

Fall 2012

Dispatch Protocol Change - In October, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department switched to ProQA, a
computerized version of the Medical Priority Dispatch cards used to process EMS
calls. This will allow implementation of several new dispatch protocols,
some not previously available. The first is Protocol 33, the Transfer/Interfacility/Palliative
Care protocol. Calls from medical facilities such as doctor's offices or
nursing homes where the patient is being cared for by a nurse or physician will
be processed using Card 33. Patients not arresting or post-resuscitation who,
in the opinion of the healthcare provider do not require a Priority One
response, will now be dispatched as a Priority 2-Alpha response. This change
will more efficiently screen calls from medical facilities and significantly
decrease inappropriate dispatch of first responders to healthcare locations. Healthcare facilities have long requested that we accept
their professional appraisal of the need for emergency versus non-emergency
responses. Now, we can. It is important to advise crews of this change as
there is a tendency to associate the response determinant (i.e., Alpha) with a
non-acute patient. Using Card 33, the only thing that an Alpha
determinant tells you is that healthcare professionals are currently caring for
the patient and do not require immediate assistance. It in no way implies that
the patient does not require ALS or extra manpower. If you are unsure of what
additional resources may be needed, please ask EMS Dispatch. One of the caller
questions elicits needs for special equipment (such as a bariatric stretcher or
helicopter) and another question determines whether additional personnel (such
as ALS providers) are necessary. Please refer any questions to Mike McEvoy, EMS-1 at
mcevoymike@aol.com

Fall 2013

Retirement Party for Kathy Peacock - EMS providers, Fire
Personnel, and Law Enforcement personnel are all invited to celebrate the
retirement of Kathy Peacock, Saratoga County EMT Instructor Coordinator
Extraordinaire, on Sunday, July 21 at the Malta Ambulance Corps from noon until
4:00 pm. Kathy is retiring after 33 years of dedicated service to Saratoga
County EMS and you can bet she's happy! Please join us to honor this
distinguished educator and pass the word along to your members, many of whom
were likely Kathy's students. The EMS Council will provide food and beverages.
Click here for an invite.
No RSVP needed!

Chemical Assisted Suicide Responder Reference Released -The HazMat Fusion Center
www.hazmatfc.com recently released a
Chemical Assisted
Suicide Responder Reference to aid emergency responders in recognizing and
managing chemical suicides. These incidents are happening with increasing
frequency across the Country. It is not a question of if, but when, we will see
our first of these in Saratoga County. Multiple occurrences throughout New York
State have had serious health consequences for responders. EMS Coordinator Mike
McEvoy strongly recommends that all services
laminate this
reference card and place one in each of their response vehicles. Let's not
lose an EMS provider for failing to keep abreast of the dangers we all face out
there!

Cyanokit Deployment for Fire Victims - Saratoga County has purchased ten Cyanokits and
strategically deployed them around the County. Cyanokits are an antidote for
cyanide poisoning, thought to be the leading cause of death in fire victims.
Two kits each are presently available in Clifton Park-Halfmoon, Malta,
Community, Wilton and Moreau. Please consider calling one of these agencies for
a Cyanokit for any arrested patient pulled out from a structure fire or for any
firefighter who collapses in arrest during or after interior structural
firefighting activities. Our resuscitation rate for fire victims in Saratoga
County is dismal - near zero. A study
using the Cyanokit over an 8 year period in Paris shows that we may be able
to revive more than half of our fire scene victims with this new antidote. If
you have an arrest at a fire scene, please call for an agency with a Cyanokit.
For more information on Cyanokit, visit
www.cyanokit.com.

Radio Repair Requests Moved to On-Line Portal - The Office of Emergency Services announced that Radio Repair Requests for
County owned mobiles and portables as well as agency owned equipment needing
service by the County radio vendor (Pittsfield Communications) should be
requested via a newly opened web portal at
www.saratogacountyny.gov/radio/.
For a copy of the announcement with additional details,
click here.
NOTE: the web address has been changed to
http://radio.saratogacountyny.gov